“For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the Lord.”

Today’s devotion comes from Jeremiah 15:15-21.

“15 You who know, O Lord,Remember me, take notice of me,And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;Know that for Your sake I endure reproach.16 Your words were found and I ate them,And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;For I have been called by Your name,O Lord God of hosts.17 I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers,Nor did I exult.Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone,For You filled me with indignation.18 Why has my pain been perpetualAnd my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive streamWith water that is unreliable?

19 Therefore, thus says the Lord,“If you return, then I will restore you—Before Me you will stand;And if you extract the precious from the worthless,You will become My spokesman.They for their part may turn to you,But as for you, you must not turn to them.20 “Then I will make you to this peopleA fortified wall of bronze;And though they fight against you,They will not prevail over you;For I am with you to save youAnd deliver you,” declares the Lord.21 “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.” Jeremiah 15:15-21.

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Jeremiah poured out his soul in prayer, and we glean some understanding of God’s work of “Preservation of the Saints”, the “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

First, we see humility in Jeremiah. “… humility goes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12. And, we also reflect on the humbling that comes from the “Total Depravity” which starts “TULIP” and which goes before “Preservation of the Saints”.

“You who know, O Lord,Remember me, take notice of me,And take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away;Know that for Your sake I endure reproach.” Verse 15.

Second, we see a love of God’s words in Jeremiah which built faith in God.

“Your words were found and I ate them,And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart …” Verse 16.

Third, we see that although Jeremiah felt vulnerable and weak (verse 18), his safety and salvation were not dependent on his feelings but on God’s faithfulness.

“… For I am with you to save youAnd deliver you,” declares the Lord.21 “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.” Verses 20-21.